Don't Let Go
by Torey Hylton
Summary: Yuna and Tidus are expecting their first child, but then tragedy strikes...
1. A New Start

"I can't believe we're going to have a baby," Tidus told Yuna as he gently caressed her extended stomach. "Who'd have thought it? _Me_, a dad!"

"And a wonderful dad you will make as well," Yuna told him softly, a warm smile on her face that made her eyes sparkle and his heart flutter. As so often happened, however, his heart dropped once again as thoughts of Jecht pummelled their way into his head.

"Unlike my old man…" His voice trailed off and he sighed heavily, taking his hand off his fiancée's stomach and wringing them together nervously. Jecht was long gone now. So why did he still have such a hold on him?

"Sir Jecht was a good man. He and my father were very close. He talked about you a lot."

"All of it bad, no doubt," Tidus interjected. "Cry-baby Tidus. Always crying. Good for nothing _but _crying."

"No," Yuna replied, calmly. "Tidus, how many times have we had this conversation? Your father loved you. He… just didn't always know how to show it."

Yuna saw the best in everyone and Tidus admired her for that. She tried to get him to adopt her way of thinking, but it was too hard. It didn't matter how hard he wished for it, how could he change his feelings now? His hatred for his old man was ingrained into his head. If he changed, he'd only be feigning it for Yuna's sake. He couldn't do that to her. She was the mother of his future child.

As if reading his thoughts, Yuna said to him, "It would be foolish of me to expect you to change your feelings for your father, Tidus. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Yuna," he replied. "He's in the past now, anyway. I'm living right here, right now. Living for the three of us," he added, defiantly.

He sidled closer to her and kissed her on the cheek. She slowly turned her head so that her eyes met his.

"For the three of us," she said.

Their lips gently touched and they kissed, neither one wanting to withdraw from the other's embrace.


	2. Vista's Prediction

Some time after the Eternal Calm, Tidus and Yuna had moved to the newly rebuilt Kilika village. It had changed. It was larger and more populated. There was more trade and the people felt a lot safer knowing that Sin could never destroy their home again. Even though Kilika had changed, it still kept a lot of its old charm. It was still a calm, quiet place to live that basked in hot, bright sunlight, and was surrounded by aquamarine-coloured water, the waves gently hitting the sides of the decking and creating a beautiful soft sound.

Yuna was sat on the wooden decking in the back garden, her feet submerged in the tepid water and her eyes taking in the sparse yet breathtaking view of the ocean in front of her. She held her hand against her stomach and uttered a small gasp of delight when she felt the baby kick for the first time.

"Tidus," she called. "The baby's kicking!"

Tidus emerged from the screen door that led into the garden and sat down beside her. She took his tanned hand and placed it onto her stomach.

"He's gonna be a star Blitzball player for sure!" he exclaimed excitedly when he felt the baby kick again. "Taking after his daddy already! That's my boy!"

"How can you be sure it's a boy?" asked Yuna. "_I _think it's a girl."

"Nah," Tidus said. "He's a boy."

"Girl!" Yuna shouted, giggling as she said it.

"Boy!"

"Girl! Ouch! It kicked me even harder!"

"See? It's 'cause he's a boy. He doesn't take kindly towards being called a girl."

"Tidus, you in there?" came a voice from the front of the house. It was Wakka. He and Lulu lived in a house at the north end of the village and had been together for about a year and a half. They were an odd match, a couple so different in looks and personality that their relationship appeared doomed to failure.

"Door's open, come in!" he shouted.

Wakka appeared seconds later. He was holding himself rigid and breathing rapidly like he'd been running and was trying to contain a stitch in his side.

"Been reports of fiends coming in from the sea! Vista just told me!"

"That old broad? But she's senile! No one ever believes a word she says except you, Wakka!"

"Tidus!" Yuna yelled, losing some of her calm demeanour in a flash. "Don't be so rude! Vista is a lovely woman. She's just a bit on the eccentric side. Isn't that right, Wakka? So, what exactly did she say to you?"

"Well, she was rambling a bit, but she said she could hear them, the same way she said she could hear Sin when it was coming. No one believed her then and look what happened. Whole village destroyed. This time, I'm standing by her."

Tidus scoffed and then raised an eyebrow.

"We should at least warn the villagers to be on their guard, Tidus," Yuna said, an air of irritation in her voice. He had never had much time for Vista. No one really took much notice of her except Wakka. He was right though; she had tried to warn the village of Sin's attack. No one had listened.

"Tidus, please!" she pleaded. "Think of the baby."

"Alright, alright!" He turned to Wakka. "You go east, I'll go west. We'll inform everybody."

Wakka nodded his head and said, "You got it!"

"Take it easy, Yuna," Tidus told her. "Don't put your feet in the water, even if is there _is_ nothing out there."

"Come back soon. I love you."

"Love you back," called Tidus as he and Wakka left through the front door.

Yuna sighed and looked down at her bump, where a funny feeling was stirring inside her. She didn't want to admit it, but the feeling she felt was dread.


	3. Stormy Weather

Tidus returned on his own an hour later. He looked tired. He sat down on the sofa and stretched, a little squeak coming out of his mouth as he yawned.

"I'm beat!"

"You ought not to be," Yuna said. "All you've done is walk round Kilika a few times. Hey. I hope you and Wakka didn't sneak a game of Blitzball in!"

"Nah! I just hurried it up so that I could come back home and snuggle up with you!" he said, grinning. "It was pointless anyway."

"Tidus, you're such a romantic! And what do you mean, it was pointless? You mean that what Vista said wasn't true?"

"Is anything Vista says true?"

"Well…" Yuna began and stopped herself.

"Yuna, what's wrong?"

"Vista was able to predict Sin's attack," Yuna told him, solemnly.

"That's just what Wakka said. You know what he's like. And besides, even if she did it was probably just coincidence."

"But what if it wasn't?"

"Yuna, listen to me, okay?" He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her on the nose. "The Sin attack was the worst thing to happen to Kilika. Whatever happens now is going to be nothing compared to that. If things start to happen, me and Wakka and all the other men will be able to put things right. Fiends have got nothing on us."

"But I'm scared. I don't want anything to jeopardise our child's future."

"With a dad like me and a grandfather like Jecht, I'm pretty sure he can look after himself."

"I guess you're right. But still, keep us safe, Tidus."

"I will," he replied, an air of confidence in his voice. It calmed her a little, but nothing could prevent the fear and dread that was welling up inside her. The welfare of her new family wasn't the only thing on her mind. The Sending was emotional and draining and she knew everybody here. Sending strangers was a feat in itself, but sending the little children whose playful laughter could be heard throughout the village, and the old women who sold trinkets in front of their houses, and young families and villagers that had started afresh after Sin's attack would be devastating. She didn't think she'd be able to do it.

_Vista, for once in your life, please be wrong._

They spent their evening curled up together on the sofa and watching the impending storm clouds loom overhead.

"We're in for a big one," said Yuna, pointing at the blackening sky.

The clouds were silky smooth and almost black in appearance. They seemed to meld into one solid sheet. The sea in the far horizon was dark and Yuna could see streaks of precipitation hanging from the clouds.

_Anything could be lurking in the darkness out there_, she thought.

A bolt of lightning rippled through the air in the distance and turned the horizon neon purple for a split second.

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten," chanted Yuna, speaking like a little girl.

The thunder reverberated through the air, a pleasant yet frightening sound that made the hairs on Yuna's neck stand up on end.

"Ten miles away," said Tidus. "Another half an hour or so and it will be right on us."

Perhaps the storm was what Vista had predicted. It could definitely be seen as fiendish and it was easy to see that a mind like Vista's could intertwine such things as fiends and storms. It was coming from the sea, just like she had predicted. It was dark, gloomy and had every chance to be deadly if you were out in it. She looked up at Tidus' warm, solid facial features and felt her heart loosen. He looked back at her and said, "I'll make sure you're safe, Yuna."

Forty minutes later and the storm was well upon them. Wakka and Lulu had arrived without notice ten minutes earlier which perked Yuna up considerably.

"We never get to see each other just lately, Yuna," Lulu said, as she took a small sip of Kilika Rum. "So Wakka told me 'Why don't we go over now then?' It's not very often that I listen to his advice, is it? But it _was_ sound advice."

"Finally, you got something right, Lu. Two things actually. No, you don't listen to me and yeah, it was sound advice!"

Lulu turned to Wakka and raised her eyebrows.

"Wakka, dear. If you say one more word, I'm going to cast a blizzard spell on you. Understood?"

"Understood, my little scary munchkin!"

Yuna giggled. Wakka and Lulu were always play-fighting with each other. Their company made Yuna forget about her worries and how her child would fare in the big, harsh world and its harsher fiends. It didn't matter how dangerous Spira was. As long as there were people who cared about each other, the world would still be a joyous planet to live on.

"I'm glad you could both make it," Yuna said to them. "It will be nice to watch the storm with friends."

Tidus, Wakka and Lulu passed a bottle of Kilika Rum between each other, while Yuna sipped on sparkling water. The house shook as winds blew between the rafters in the ceiling. The sky flashed blue and purple and bright white as lightning penetrated the air. Thunder rattled and boomed and the rain came down in sheets, hitting the decking with such force that each droplet rose a metre into the air.

"This is so exciting!" Yuna exclaimed.

"You're easily pleased," said Lulu as she swirled the remaining rum around in her tumbler. "I like that about you."

"You should take a couple leafs outta her book, Lu," said Wakka with an unmistakeable slur. "Lighten up a bit, ya?"

"I'll lighten _you_ up if you don't shut up," hissed Lulu. "I think you've had enough to drink, Wakka."

"But this is only my fourth grass!" he protested.

"Grass?" enquired Lulu with one eyebrow raised. "I think you meant glass, did you not?"

"That's what I said!"

Lulu didn't answer him this time. Instead, she moved towards him, took the glass out of his hands and downed the rest of the rum that was floating at the bottom of it.

"There," she told him satisfyingly. "All gone." She turned to Yuna and Tidus. "I'm so sorry about Wakka's antics. I can drink all day. He, on the other hand, cannot handle much at all. We ought to get going now. I need to put Wakka to bed."

"But what about the storm?" asked Yuna.

"Our house is just five minutes walk. We'll be fine. Besides, I've got Nulshock under my belt if… I mean, when Wakka makes us a little slow on our feet." She glared at him. "Come on!"

"Alright already!" he yelled back. He groaned and held his head. "The room's spinning…"

Yuna and Tidus watched them as they trundled through the rain. Lulu had grasped Wakka's arm and was literally pulling him across the floor. As soon as they disappeared around the corner, Tidus turned to Yuna and hugged her.

"Shall we go to bed?" he asked, his eyes lustful. "I'll be gentle with you."

Yuna sighed and looked into his eyes.

"Not tonight, Tidus. I just want to fall asleep in your arms and listen to the rain and the thunder. I want to feel safe."

"Okay. I understand. We'll just cuddle up. I hope my snoring doesn't keep you awake though!"

"It won't. It'll make me feel safe." She smiled.

It was early morning. The darkness was all around them, the full moon obscured by the thunder clouds. Yuna was wide awake. Tidus was snoring softly. She withdrew her hand from the thin blanket that was draped across her and placed her palm on Tidus' smooth chest which was rising and falling softly.

Suddenly there was a hissing noise coming from the back garden. A thud. Another hiss and then another. Soon, the hissing sounds were hitting Yuna's ears in quick succession.

_The sounds that Vista could hear…_

"Oh no! Fiends!" she gasped and tapped Tidus hard on the shoulder.

"Tidus, wake up!" she screamed.


	4. Fiends

"Ow oww owwww!" cried Tidus as Yuna pummelled his shoulder.

"Fiends!" she screamed. "In the garden! Please wake up!"

Tidus groaned and turned on his bedside lamp. Light immediately filled the room making Yuna's eyes sting. Tidus' hair was a mess and drool was hanging from his lip. He was in no fit state to fight fiends, not after drinking rum last night. Granted, he had not gotten drunk like Wakka, but he was still suffering. She'd have to fight them herself. But how? The only black magic spell she could use was thunder.

Didn't Wakka say that the fiends were coming from the sea? Water fiends were susceptible to thunder magic. She had to try.

She jumped out of bed and held onto her bump as she scurried across the room, as if her hands alone would be able to protect the fragile foetus inside of her. She grabbed her staff from the side of the wardrobe, put on her night robe and walked into the hallway, which was pitch black. She turned on the lights and made for the screen door at the back of the house.

"Yuna, don't go out there!"

She turned around. Tidus was standing behind her with his sword grasped tightly with both hands.

"Stay here! I'll go out there and slice 'em up. You can heal me from the doorway."

"Be careful!" she cried as he sidled past her into the torrent of rain.

Visibility was low. She could see long, dark shadows lurking in the background. The monsters looked like some kind of serpent. One hissed and the rest soon followed as if in song. Tidus lifted his sword into the air, jumped into the affray of fiends and swung his sword round in an arc. Pyreflies erupted into the air, and danced wildly in the rain before disappearing, but more serpents crawled out of the sea to take the place of those that had fallen.

There was another hiss. Yuna could have sworn it sounded fiercer. Suddenly Tidus screamed out in pain.

"Tidus!"

Yuna raised her arms and spread her fingers. Tendrils of pure white magic cascaded from her fingers, undeterred by the rain and encircled Tidus' body. He glowed bright for a second or two and in those moments Yuna could see the valiant yet pained expression upon his face. He was doing this for his family. She also saw the two large puncture wounds on his neck.

_Poisoned?_ She thought.

She conjured the Esuna spell. Shards of magic erupted from her fingers and surrounded the bite marks, but she could tell in an instant that the poison hadn't been dispelled from his body. His body was weakening and his chest was heaving as he struggled to breathe. There was another almighty hiss as another serpent sunk its venomous fangs into Tidus' neck.

"Leave him alone!" Yuna screamed.

"Yuna… Run… Save yourself…" Tidus tried to shout. Each word sounded painful.

"Never!"

"Think of…the baby…"

There was a sickening thud as something hard and heavy hit the deck. Yuna flung the Curaga spell at her lover and saw him lying there, eyes wide open, his mouth gaping as the serpents, sickeningly grotesque, slithered all over his body. They were green and slimy, with huge sharp scales running along their backs. Their eyes were red, the colour of rubies and blood. Their fangs were about two inches long.

She looked at Tidus one last time and thought about using her Revive spell to bring him back, but she dismissed the thought. He was beyond reviving. He was gone.

_Think of the baby…_

His last words. Without looking back, Yuna turned around and ran from the house. She bolted through the rain as serpents slithered from the sea and up onto the boardwalk. She could hear people screaming and sobbing. She heard a splash as a man fell into the water. He didn't make a sound and had probably died before he hit the water.

A child ran past her. She hurled a Cure his way, not knowing if it would do anything to save his life. But she had to do something. Swords were clashing and Pyreflies were dancing in the air as more serpents were slain. She continued down the boardwalk, passing ruined huts and grotesque serpents. She eventually made it to Wakka and Lulu's house and could hear the sound of Lulu's frightening Thundaga spells ricochet off the surrounding buildings.

Oh, how she prayed they were alright…


	5. A Helping Hand

"Lulu! Wakka!" yelled Yuna as she pounded on their front door. "Please let me in!"

She could still hear the Thundaga spells. Lulu was now belting them out at such speed and ferocity that it was likely no serpent stood a chance. She could hear the ruthless sound of Wakka's blitzball hitting flesh and scales and the unmistakable haunting drone of Pyreflies exploding from within the beasts.

She tried the door and found that it was unlocked. A momentary relief swept through her but diminished instantly as thoughts of Tidus' fate struck her like frozen waves on a bitter sea.

Every person she had ever met had told her how full of optimism she was. They were right, too. But he was dead. She had witnessed death in all its forms and she knew what it looked like. The empty eyes. The stillness of the body. Even the colour of the skin as the blood slowly seeped away. And even in death, the monstrous fiends were still ravaging his body.

What would she do without him by her side? Her son or daughter growing up without a father? She would have to send him, and fast, but right now she had to focus on her best friends.

She rushed through the door. Wakka was on his knees in the lounge, his blitzball out of his reach. He was panting and clutching at a wound on his chest.

"Oh, Wakka!" Yuna cried, unable to grasp the severity of his injuries. She clasped a hand over her cheeks and mouth.

"Help Lulu!" he gasped, breathing rapidly, but Yuna had composed herself and had already raised her hands to cure him. Streams of white light surrounded him and then dissipated in an instant. He fell to the floor in a daze, his superficial wounds closing up as the magic knitted through the wounds, healing them. The wound on his chest was still large and gaping though and looked like it might be fatal.

"Lulu… help… Lulu!"

Yuna felt torn. She looked down at Wakka, lying there like a wounded puppy. She cocked her head towards the kitchen where she could hear Lulu's ferocious magic ricocheting against the walls. She looked down at Wakka again. He was trying to move, but couldn't. He groaned in agony.

"Don't move!" she yelled at him. "Lulu's fine. She's the fiercest black mage I have ever known! Please lie down, so that I can cure you! Do it!"

Perhaps it was the fact that Yuna was trying to shout at him, something that had never happened before and probably would never happen again, but Wakka began to laugh. It was guttural, from the heart. Even as he hung at the threshold of death's door, Wakka always had time for laughter.

His breathing was laboured though and Yuna's magic strength was weakening. Even though his laughter endeared her, she couldn't lose focus. Gathering as much strength as she could muster, she was able to surround the wound with a Curaga spell. It fizzled on the surface of his injury and then spread to each corner of it, cocooning it in a blanket of bright, warm light.

_Lulu!_ She thought. Even though she was a black mage, it would be churlish for her, as a friend, not to lend her a helping hand, whether she needed it or not.

"I'll be right back!" Yuna told Wakka as she rushed through the lounge and into the kitchen beyond. "Don't move! Save your strength!" she called back to him.

Pots and pans lay scattered across the floor. The table was upturned and the lights flickered. Lulu unleashed a final bolt of thunder magic at a lone serpent. The beast exploded into a thousand Pyreflies as soon as the magic touched its skin. Lulu let out a pitiful moan and then fell to her knees.

"I think… that's the last of them," she muttered under her breath.

She turned around and saw her boyfriend lying haphazardly in the lounge.

"Wakka!"

"He's going to be fine," Yuna assured her as she knelt down beside her. She saw three gashes on her arm and face. "My energy's weak, but here, let me cure you."

"No," replied Lulu sternly. "Thank you, but Wakka needs your help more than I do."

"Okay," Yuna replied. "Let's go to him. I'm sure he would like to see you."

Yuna helped Lulu to her feet and supported her as they walked into the lounge. Wakka had managed to climb to his knees and was massaging the wound on his chest. Yuna was thankful that her white magic had not let her down; the wound had started to close up nicely.

"Thought I was a goner…" He looked up at Lulu and smiled warmly at her, albeit a little sheepishly. "You mad at me for being so weak, Lu?"

"Mad? At you?" she replied, sarcastically. "Never! Honestly, though? I'm just glad you're alive."

Yuna's heart dropped so forcefully she felt like she was going to pass out.

"Tidus…" she cried, dropping to her knees. Lulu clutched her shoulder with her hand and massaged her gently.

"Yuna, is he hurt?"

"I… I think he's…" She found that she couldn't finish her sentence. Instead, she wept. Lulu's gentle hand tightened on her shoulder. Wakka dragged his weary body over to hers and put his arms around her. He leant closer to her and said, "We'll go with you. He might still be alive. He might be waiting for you."

But Yuna couldn't get the vision of his clear blue eyes, blinded by eternal sleep, out of her head. She couldn't stop picturing his lifeless body just lying there as the serpents bit into his flesh. She needed to go back home, with her friends by her side. She needed to send him.


	6. Vanishing Act

Kilika was not quiet. Just half an hour earlier the only sounds that punctuated the heavy silence was the steady flow of rain as it hit the wooden decks and the cloth awnings that covered the front of the shops, the soothing sound of the waves as they met with the land and the trees blowing in the wind in the jungle beyond.

Now Yuna's ears were pierced with the sounds of women and children crying and men calling out for their loved ones. She could hear white magic spells from every direction. Suddenly, Yuna heard a new sound.

"There's another one!" an elderly man yelled. Yuna looked straight ahead of her saw an old man hunched over and clutching a walking stick. Another serpent crept out of the sea and lunged for him.

"Take that!" yelled Wakka as he whacked his blitzball at the fiend. It let out a penetrating hissing sound and erupted into Pyreflies. "Ah, my chest…" he groaned.

"Thank you! Thank you!" the old man wheezed. He was around eighty-years-old and was afflicted with a crooked back that bent him double. "I was going to use my stick on it."

"It's a good job we were here," said Lulu. Yuna thought she heard a little contempt in her voice. "It was very careless of you to go out here at your age, armed with nothing but a walking aid. That fiend would have killed you."

"I-I'm sorry milady," the old man uttered, touching his long silvery beard with a trembling hand. "I was foolish."

"Go back to your family," Lulu said. "They need you more than ever."

"Don't you think you were a little harsh on him?" asked Yuna as they hurried back to her house.

"Not at all," replied Lulu, completely sure of herself. "Too many people have died, Yuna. Too many people think they can act like heroes. They end up getting themselves killed!" She turned to Wakka. "Just like Chappu."

Wakka stopped walking and stared at her.

"Why'd you have to bring this up again, Lulu?" asked Wakka agitatedly. "You just can't let sleeping dogs lie, can you?"

"Guys, can we please just stop this?" Yuna interjected. "I want to see if Tidus is…"

She looked at the floor, unable to complete the sentence.

"I'm sorry, Yuna," Lulu said. "Come. Let's go."

The house was dark and quiet. The steady rain was the only sound that could be heard. Yuna thought she could hear a voice in the background and called out to it.

"Tidus! Is that you?"

There was no answer. She heard another sound and realised that it was just the rain hitting objects and making a tired, weary and hopeful brain trick itself into believing in things that aren't there. She sighed and turned on the light. The lounge was seemingly untouched. She walked through the hallway, into the kitchen and pushed open the screen door.

"Tidus?"

She could barely see.

"Here, let me help you," said Lulu, standing behind her.

She held her hands up and created little balls of fire in her palms.

"To help you see."

Yuna gasped and took a few clumsy steps forwards.

"He's gone!" she gasped.

She was sure that his body would be there when she got back. The serpents wouldn't have had the strength to drag his body to the water's edge. So where was he? Was there a chance that he could still be alive?

"I have to look for him!" Yuna exclaimed.

She just didn't know where to start looking…


	7. A Problem Shared

**Three days later**

Yuna was sat at Wakka and Lulu's kitchen table, a cold glass of water resting in her hands. She was gazing down at the surface of the water, having taken not one sip. A tear rolled down her face and landed in her glass. It made a sound and caused the surface to ripple. Other tears came and then her hands started to tremble so she set the glass of water onto the table.

The pain of not knowing was worse than having to send him – that final act of love. What had happened to him? Had the serpents dragged his body into the sea? Had someone sick and twisted collected his body for some macabre cause? Was he undead and wondering aimlessly, unable to accept his fate or… was he alive?

_Was he alive?_

That hurt Yuna more than anything. If Tidus was alive, why hadn't he come back to her? She needed him. She looked down at her bump and covered it with her hands as if to protect her baby. The child needed a father.

"Tidus," she said to thin air. "If you're alive, please come back. Please. We need you. We love you. Please."

"Yuna?"

She jumped and put her hand to her mouth. She turned around and saw Lulu standing behind her.

"Oh," said Yuna timidly. "I thought you were out. I don't make a habit of talking to myself…"

"You're upset," Lulu replied, sitting next to her. She placed her glass of coconut juice onto the table. "You can talk to yourself as often as you like. Anything to make the pain a little easier to bear."

"Thank you for letting me stay here," Yuna said to her. "I really appreciate it."

"It is the least that Wakka and I can do. We didn't want you ambling around in that house all alone."

"I've got my baby," Yuna replied, smiling for what seemed like the first time in ages.

"That's very true, Yuna, but…"

"But the conversations can be quite one-sided," she finished, expecting that Lulu was about to say the same thing.

"Exactly. I enjoy your company, Yuna. It's nice to have a woman to talk to. Wakka and his Blitzball addiction…" She shook her head.

"Tidus was the same way. I mean… is. Lulu, we have to find out what happened. Whether he is still alive. We have to."

"I know, Yuna, I know," replied Lulu reassuringly. "But where do we begin?"

"We should wait for Wakka to return from Besaid. Then we'll make plans."

"Alright," Yuna said.

Making the most of their time together, the two women talked about Yuna's pilgrimage, about old friends and old enemies and whether they thought the baby was a boy or a girl.

"I think it's a girl," said Lulu.

"Oh? What makes you think that?"

"I'm just good at guessing these things. I was right about Rikku's baby, wasn't I? I can't believe Mori will be a year old soon. She's grown so much already. And Letty and his girlfriend had a boy and I predicted that too. So it's definitely a girl," she said with a wink.

"I think so too. But Tidus thinks it's going to be a boy. I remember him saying that he'll be a star Blitzball player. 'That's my boy!' he said. He was so excited. It feels like a girl, but maybe that's just because I've always wanted a daughter."

"Well, it's your baby. Sometimes, you can just feel it, can't you? Whether it's a boy, or a girl. Twins, even…"

Lulu gripped the sides of her glass nervously and for just a few seconds Yuna could see something in her eyes; an overwhelming sadness.

"Lulu?" Yuna asked, patting her on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She thought she knew already but paused first. She didn't want to come off as being too abrupt.

"You and Wakka… were you pregnant?"

"Seven months ago, I lost our twins. I knew all along I was carrying girls. I could just sense it. I even had their names picked out; Hope and Morale. I had to give birth to their bodies five months prematurely. They had died while they were inside me."

"Oh my goodness," gasped Yuna. "Why didn't you tell me? Did Tidus know?"

"No, he didn't. And neither does Wakka. You mustn't tell him."

"Surely he has a right to know, though?"

"Yes, that is true. However, you know Wakka just as well as I. He's… vulnerable. I, on the other hand, am strong. These shoulders have a huge burden placed upon them, and they always will, for that is how I choose to live."

Yuna bowed her head respectively.

"I understand. I'm glad you at least told me, though. I'm your best friend and I'll always be here for you." She finished with a smile. Lulu smiled back, the sadness dissipating from her dark brown eyes.

"And I'll be here for you too. We'll find him, you know."

"I know. My baby wants to see its father and I am going to make it happen."

"That's the spirit, Yuna. That's the spirit!"

They raised their glasses and chinked them together, some of Yuna's water spilling over the edge.


	8. A Tiny Glimmer of Hope

"The lads say hi," Wakka said as he walked through the door some time later, as Lulu was telling Yuna about the time they all thought she and Tidus had lost it when they both started laughing loudly that one time in Luca. Fond memories.

Wakka had been to see his old friends from the Besaid Aurochs and was beside himself with glee. They had all been training so hard throughout the year and had gotten a lot better. And he got to see a tiny champion in the making too; Leygo, Letty's little boy.

"How you doing?" he asked her as he approached her. He leaned down next to her. "We'll find him."

"Thank you, Wakka," Yuna replied. "I know we will. Lulu and I were just saying that we'll make plans as soon as you got back, to look for Tidus. Are you okay to start now?"

Wakka sprung to his feet and beat his fists on his chest.

"I'm ready for anything!" he boomed. "And you know me, I'll do anything for my friends." He turned to Lulu. "You got any idea where we're headed first?" he asked her.

"Yes. First of all, we'll ask around. Someone may have seen something. We'll follow leads if there are any. If not, we'll check the temple and the jungle. Afterwards, we'll take it from there."

"Besaid's clear," said Wakka. "I told the boys what had happened. None of them have seen him there."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lulu asked Yuna.

"I'm ready. I have to do this. I know it's going to be hard, but what is harder for me to bear is the thought of sitting here feeling sad when he could be out there in trouble."

"I understand," Lulu replied. "But take it easy, okay? If you need rest, we rest. This is on your terms."

"We don't want your baby to pop out prematurely because you did too much!" Wakka interjected.

Yuna started to laugh. It was so typical of Wakka to say something like that and even though he sometimes didn't exactly intend to, he perked her spirits greatly.

_A true friend_ Yuna thought.

She looked at Lulu and found that she was laughing too. It had already happened to her, and she had lost her children. Worse, she'd kept it to herself. But she was right, she _was _strong. That much was evident.

"How far are you anyway? You're getting massive!"

"Wakka!" Lulu yelled. "Do you not think before you speak?"

"What did I say?" He looked around gingerly.

Yuna just giggled.

"Six months, now. Three months to go and I'll be able to hold my baby in my arms, with Tidus right next to me."

"That's the way to think!" Wakka said excitedly.

The sun was hot on their skin as they left the house. The sky was crystal blue and cloudless and a warm wind blew through Yuna's hair. For the first time since the storm and Tidus' disappearance, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She didn't know why; whether it was the heart to heart with Lulu, or the fact that she was now ready to look for him. Whatever had caused the feeling, she was eternally grateful, and she didn't want the feeling to ever end.

They asked around, but hadn't come across any leads to his whereabouts. Yuna hadn't expected to, not in Kilika. If he was this close by, someone would have seen him. If he was this close they both might have been brought together already.

"Ow!" cried Yuna as they approached Kilika jungle. "It kicked me!"

The baby kicked again and again, only stopping for the briefest of moments. The pain, while not severe, was enough to make her stop and kneel.

"It's too soon. We should head back," said Lulu soothingly.

"No," replied Yuna. "I'm okay. Honestly, I'm okay. The baby has been moving about a lot just lately. I think it can sense that something isn't right. I think it wants me to carry on. The baby wants to see its father."

"Yuna…" cooed Lulu. "You mustn't overexert yourself."

Wakka stepped in and said, "But if she says she's fine, then she's fine. She's pregnant, not ill."

"He's right. I'm fine. Come on, let's carry on."

She could understand why Lulu was overly concerned. To lose one baby, let alone two, was a pain that no expecting mother should ever have to go through. It was clear that Lulu didn't want her to jeopardise her baby's future and her own well-being.

"Lulu, you're a good friend, but I promise you, I'm fine. There are lots of inns we can stop at on the way. Besides, Luca isn't far away and we might find him there."

Lulu smiled and nodded and then put her arm confidingly across Yuna's shoulders, gently squeezing them.

"Come, then. We'll both look after you. Right, Wakka?"

"Right!" he replied with a beaming smile.

The baby was calm as they traversed through the steamy jungle. On their way they had passed a few travellers, none of whom had seen anyone matching Tidus' description. Some, upon seeing Yuna's condition, offered them gifts – potions mainly, but also a beautiful coloured elixir that was the shade of aquamarine. The traveller that handed it to Yuna, a young woman with jet black hair and silvery eyes said that it gave hope to a person when all hope had gone.

"Do you believe in that stuff?" asked Wakka as they reached Kilika Temple.

"Not usually, no," Yuna replied. "But I think I might start to, for Tidus' sake. If I start to lose hope, I'm going to drink this."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Wakka.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it could be anything. Could just be a funky coloured health potion. It could be harmful to the baby," said Wakka, his face full of concern.

Yuna took the potion from her shoulder bag and looked at it. It had such a soft glow to it, like the surface of the sea when she sun shines on it. Just looking at it seemed to give her hope. It didn't seem right to think of the potion as harmful. But Wakka was right. It would be foolish to be so careless, especially as she was carrying her and Tidus' child.

"You're right. I'll hold on to it instead. It can be a keepsake. My little glimmer of hope."

"That's a beautiful idea," Lulu chimed.

Kilika Temple was a serene place, quiet and holy, where people from all over Spira prayed to the spirit of Ifrit. After the downfall of Yevon, many people had lost their faith. Slowly but surely, however, people began to take solace in the many fallen aeon's of Spira, and chose to worship them instead.

"Hi there," said a young woman with long blonde hair that came down to her waist and large blue eyes as she approached the trio from the mouth of the temple. It was Manika. She was full of vitality and always had a smile on her face, even though her past was wrought with tragedy. She had lost both her parents and her brothers, all five of them, in the Sin attack that had devastated Kilika two years ago. She was a very inspiring woman and meeting her here today, Yuna thought, gave her even more hope.

"I do hope you're okay," she continued. "I've been worshiping Ifrit's spirit for the last two days, but I heard the news that Tidus has disappeared. Yuna," she said, holding out her hands so that Yuna could hold them, "Is there anything at all that I can do?"

"Thank you for your concern, Manika," replied Yuna. "There's not much anyone can do at the moment, but it's lovely that you thought about me."

"How about a prayer?"

"I would like that very much," replied Yuna. "Thank you."

"Okay! I'm going to rest, but I will pray to Ifrit in an hour or two. Blessings of the Aeons upon you. Yuna. Wakka. Lulu."

She bowed her head at the three of them. When she rose, she smiled lovingly at Yuna, said her goodbyes and skipped off into the direction of the jungle.

"I don't think I've ever seen her sad," mused Wakka. "She's got some guts after what she's been through, I'll tell ya."

"She's a wonderful woman," said Yuna. "It's a lovely gesture for her to pray for us."

"Do you think the Aeon's really do look after us?"

"I would like to think that their spirits live on, yes. I witnessed a terrible thing, my Aeons dying right before my eyes, but I could sense that they weren't gone; that a part of them remained. Ifrit may have looked fierce, but he had a good heart. I think Manika could help us by praying to him."

"It can bring solace when you believe in something," said Lulu. "Hold on to that belief, Yuna."

"Thank you, I will," she responded, smiling dreamily. She stroked her bump and whispered, "We'll find your father. Even if we have to travel the ends of the world, we'll find him. I promise."


	9. Friendship

They arrived at Luca some hours later. It was still bustling, perhaps now even more so. Children were running and playing, and families walked through the streets together, basking in the glorious summer sun. Vendors had set up along the streets, selling all sorts of things – food, potions, weapons and armour, trinkets – and people were gathered round them, some buying, others haggling and some merely browsing.

Yuna looked around, her eyes darting from one person to the next, just hoping that she'd catch a tiny glimpse of Tidus. He was nowhere to be seen. She reached for the potion.

"Please give me hope," she murmured as she looked into the clear turquoise liquid. She cupped it in her hands and could faintly feel warmth radiating from the glass bottle. She smiled and held the bottle more firmly, then continued down the street, stopping passers by to ask them if they'd seen a young, tanned man with shaggy blonde hair.

"Yunie!" called a voice in the distance. "Lulu! Wakka!"

It was Rikku. She was happy as ever, with not a care in the world. Yuna felt a sudden pang of guilt. She hadn't let her best friend know about the awful events that had transpired over the last month. She hadn't even given her a second thought. She suddenly felt like a terrible friend…

Yuna scanned the distance and saw Rikku ambling over towards the group. She held Mori close to her bosom in a cream coloured papoose. The little girl's arms were loose and feeling the air as if she was playing with it, and she was giggling.

"Hi everyone!" beamed Rikku. "How are things?"

Yuna felt her spirits drop even more as guilt tugged at her from within. Rikku was such a happy little thing and barely anything made her miserable, but this would break her heart. Rikku hated it when her friends were feeling sad, and Tidus was her friend too.

Yuna glanced at Lulu for a sign of how to go about this. She responded by giving Yuna a quick nod – that Rikku needed to know.

"I have to tell you something."

Yuna wrung her hands together nervously, her stomach forming a massive knot. Her eyes began to prick with tears. She began to sob.

"Yunie!" gasped Rikku, her eyes full of concern. "What is it?"

"Tidus and I… we… got separated. A couple of weeks ago he… he…"

A gentle hand squeezed her shoulder from behind.

"Yuna…" began Lulu. "It's okay. Everything will be okay. You've got Wakka and I. We will follow you to the ends of Spira if we have to."

"She's right!" chimed Wakka. "We'll never give up!"

Rikku held her baby daughter closer to her bosom, as if fearing that she would lose her.

"Yunie… I'm so sorry. What happened?" she asked. "Don't tell me here," she quickly added. "I know a quaint little café down at the waterfront. We could talk more there if you want."

"I'd like that," Yuna replied, a genuine smile tracing her lips this time.

Yuna peered at little Mori. She'd stopped playing and was beginning to doze, her eyelids starting to dip over her bright green irises. She definitely had her mother's Al-Bhed eyes. Her hair was the same colour as Rikku's too, but unlike her silky straight locks, Mori's was short and thick, bunched around her face in tight little curls. Her cheeks were chubby and rosy red. She looked beautiful.

Yuna began to lose herself as she dreamed of what her child would look like. Would it have her eyes and hair, or would it be like looking at Tidus? Would the baby actually look like either of them? Would it ever meet its father?

In the café, they were able to find a table in a secluded corner, overlooking the sea. A young waitress came over to them with a clipboard in her hands.

"Hello everyone, my name is Verlana and I will be your waitress for today. Are you ordering food or just drinks today?"

Wakka patted his stomach desperately.

"I'm starving. Shall we eat?"

"I don't mind," Yuna replied. "What about you, Lulu? Rikku?"

"I think we should eat," replied Lulu. "We haven't eaten a bite today and I'm beginning to feel drained."

"I'm quite hungry too," said Rikku. "I fed Mori and Jaggu this morning and forgot about me! Can you believe that?"

Jaggu was Rikku's partner. He too was an Al-Bhed, and worked on the docks as a builder and general maintenance man. He seemed nice, if a little on the quiet side, a trait that Yuna thought Rikku would never ever go for. But he made her happy, and that was all that mattered.

"Well, you're a scatterbrain so yeah, I can!" chortled Wakka, replying to Rikku.

Rikku laughed.

"Oh Wakka!" she giggled.

"Wakka, cut it out," snapped Lulu.

Yuna looked up at the waitress who appeared to be blushing. She was clutching her clipboard even more tightly than before.

"Could we have four menus please?" she asked.

"Sure thing. What would you like to drink?"

They ordered drinks. Moments later, Verlana reappeared with a tray of drinks in one hand and four menus in the other. Placing everything down on the table, she skipped off to wait on a couple sitting in the far corner. After they'd chosen and ordered their meals, Yuna told Rikku all about what happened that night.

"So now we're looking for him. I'm convinced he's still alive."

"Oh, Yunie…" she cried, her eyes sympathetic and warm. "You must be feeling so down."

"I am, in a way, but right now I'm full of hope and I'm going to hold on to it. Besides, I have this."

She fished the potion out of her backpack and handed it to Rikku.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's nothing. Well, that's what we're guessing anyway. A kind lady handed it to me. She said it was a potion that gives hope to anyone who drinks it. But I don't need to. Just holding it makes me feel hopeful. We'll find him. I know we will."

"Too right!" exclaimed Rikku, fist-bumping the air. "I just wish I could come with you."

"It's okay," said Yuna. "Mori needs you."

"But I'll keep an eye out here for you. If I see him, or hear anything about where he might be, I'll let you know ASAP."

Their meals came. While Wakka wolfed his down, getting gravy all down his chin in the process, Yuna just played with hers, pushing it around the plate with her fork. She just couldn't eat. It didn't matter how hopeful she was; there was still that horrible pang of dread tugging away at her insides, and she wouldn't be able to shift it until she'd found Tidus safe and well.

"You need to eat," Lulu told her. "This is a hard journey to take, both physically and mentally. Just eat a few large mouthfuls. Please."

"I'll try," Yuna replied. "I need to think of my baby, after all."

She gulped down a few bites of food and swilled it down with a cool glass of water, then cupped her distended belly in her hands. She could feel faint movements from within; a life not yet begun. She needed to find Tidus; she needed to find him alive.


	10. A Fighting Chance

After scouring the city of Luca and coming up fruitless, the group decided to bid Rikku and her young daughter farewell and continue onwards, through the Mi-ihen Highroad, Mushroom Rockroad and the Djoze Highroad until they came to the Temple of Djoze. They would search the area, rest up, and, if necessary, continue onwards towards the Moonflow.

Yuna rubbed her toes together and wiggled her feet. They were sore. She could also feel the muscles in her stomach tighten and stretch. They'd only made it to Luca and already she was feeling the strain. She didn't know how much longer her body could continue. It was her inner will and hope that spurred her on, as well as her undying love for Tidus.

"Good luck, Yunie!" Rikku called, waving at the group as they left the city. Yuna turned and smiled at her best friend. Rikku was always such a positive person. Everything would turn out all right, she'd say.

_She's right,_ Yuna thought. _Everything will turn out all right._

Yuna had forgotten just how long the Mi-ihen Highroad was. It seemed that back then everything flew by because she was happy and content, and fulfilling her destiny of becoming a Summoner. But now, hurting and tired, and missing her lover, the road seemed to span forever, never ending and just twisting and turning.

It was still a beautiful place though. Verdant meadows spanned the Highroad, stretching back miles until they reached the glossy blue horizon. Chocobos grazed, sun-bathed and preened themselves in the grass. Birds flew overhead and butterflies flitted past. The sun was high in the sky, its warmth caressing Yuna's head and shoulders.

Travellers walked past the group towards Luca, some whizzing by on Chocobo-back, others strolling and taking their sweet time. Others walked with them, but at different paces. There were some they overtook, and others who overtook them, as if they were on some sort of mission. People were all doing their own things. They were all living their own lives.

She took in the scenery and sighed, dreamily. This really was a beautiful place, and just looking around and taking everything in was making her feel better. Besides, she was with her friends. They were on this journey together.

A cacophony of screams and monstrous roars echoed in the distance; a man and a woman and what sounded like a huge, deadly fiend. Spira was calmer now than it used to be when Sin lurked around every corner, but there were still fiends about. Usually, they'd keep to themselves, just like any wild animal would, but sometimes things got out of hand and they'd attack humans and cities, just like the serpents attacked Kilika.

"HELP US!" the man screamed. In the not-so-far distance, Yuna could see a man and a small woman tearing down the highroad, their mouths forming O shapes as they screamed and their arms flailing in the air. A huge scaly monster with long muscled arms and a gigantic toothy mouth was chasing them, roaring so loud it seemed to vibrate the air.

"Yuna!" cried Lulu. "Move to the side! Wakka, get ready with your Blitzball! I've got a Blizzaga spell ready to unleash on it, too."

With snake-like reflexes, the hulking monster grabbed the unsuspecting and helpless man with one of its muscled arms, opened its mouth and hung its floundering morsel above its gaping maw.

"BOOYA!" Wakka yelled. His Blitzball rocketed through the air, gaining momentum with each millisecond until it was nothing but a blur. It smacked against its target with such force that it sent the monster soaring backwards. The man dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes and rolled across the grass three times before stopping completely, as the fallen beast exploded into Pyreflies behind him.

"Marco!" the woman cried. She ran up to him, dropped to her knees and hugged him. "Are you all right?!"

"I was almost that thing's dinner!" the man wailed. "I can't believe it!" He glanced around. "Thank you so much for saving my life!"

"That's quite all right," Lulu said.

"Yeah, no sweat!" said Wakka, puffing his chest out and carrying his Blitzball under one arm.

"I wish I could have done something," mumbled Yuna from the grassy verge. She was sat on her knees, cradling her bump with both hands.

"Oh, honey," the woman cooed as she glanced towards her swollen tummy. "Don't worry. You're with child. Besides, your friends seemed to have everything under control. Are you feeling well?" She pulled a rucksack off her shoulders and started to untie the laces that bound it together. "You must be very tired. My husband and I are merchants. We specialise in healing items and potions. I think I have just the thing for you."

She pulled out of her heaving rucksack a glittering turquoise potion.

"It's a Healing Spring. Drink it down in one gulp and it'll keep you going for hours. Here are two more for your friends."

"Thank you, um…"

"Call me Malvina."

"Thank you, Malvina."

"Hey," interjected Wakka. "If you specialise in potions and stuff, do you think you could give us some information about a potion some traveller gave us?"

"Of course," Yuna interjected. "The potion. We still have no idea what it really is."

"Well, pass it over and I'll have a look," Malvina said.

Yuna passed the potion over. Malvina had only handled the potion for one second before her expression changed from indifference to complete shock.

"How on Spira did you get your hands on this?!"

"What do you mean? Is it bad?" Wakka asked.

"Not bad." Malvina turned it in her hands very carefully. "Powerful. Extremely rare. I need to ask you something." She looked at Yuna.

"Go on," Yuna urged.

"Has someone close to you died recently?"

"I-I'm not sure," she stammered. "I'm looking for someone. I don't know whether he is dead or alive. He's just… gone."

"I do not mean to be rude, Malvina," said Lulu, "but could you please get to the point? My friend is hurting. She does not want to be messed around."

"My apologies. I asked you that question because this potion is called a Miracle Mana. If you were to drink this, you would live forever, but pour it into the mouth of someone who has died recently and they'll come back to life, providing that their spirit has not yet crossed over to the Farplane and their body is still in tact."

"For real?" Wakka asked, his eyes wide.

"For real," Malvina replied.

"If you don't mind me saying," Marco piped up, "but where did you get it?"

"A kind lady gave it to me in the Kilika jungle. I don't think she knew what it was, though. She told me it gave hope to anyone that drank it."

"That's called a Wish Potion," he said. They look almost identical. Same colour, same shaped bottle."

"Forgive me for asking," said Lulu. "How do you know that this is a Miracle Mana and not a Wish Potion?"

"A Wish Potion has barely any substance to it, but this one is heavy, like a stack of books. I'm quite surprised you could carry it."

She handed the potion back to Yuna.

"I could feel it weighing down my backpack, but my baby is heavy too. I guess I just got used to carrying heavy things." She giggled, for what felt like the first time in ages. She looked at Malvina and then to her husband. "I trust you both. If my boyfriend has died, I can still bring him back."

Her heart suddenly felt as heavy as the potion.

"Unless he's been sent…" she finished with a deep sigh.

"Well, there is a way we can know for sure," Lulu said. "The Farplane. If he's there, his spirit will come to you."

"That's right," said Yuna, a small smile painting her face. "Things are beginning to fall into place now. I just…" - she looked up into the sky, wringing her hands - …I hope he's not there…"

"And if he isn't there, we'll have to hope that he's somewhere safe and that his body hasn't been ravaged," said Wakka.

"Tact!" boomed Lulu, cutting him a glare. "You have none!"

"What? I was just saying…"

"Think before you open your mouth, Wakka," snapped Lulu.

"It's fine," said Yuna. "He's right. There are still a lot of obstacles to overcome. But I'm hopeful that this will have a happy ending."

"You're full of spirit," said Malvina. "I like that. Who needs a Wish Potion when you have all the hope you ever need right there in your heart?"

Yuna smiled at Malvina.

"Oh," Marco said. "Take all the potions you can carry. You saved my life."

"That is a lovely gesture," Lulu told him, "But we cannot accept your offer. You have a business to run."

"Hey!" Wakka yelled. "You're mad, ya!"

Lulu whipped her head around and glared at her boyfriend, her dark eyes forming slits.

"S-s-sorry…"

Malvina approached Lulu and handed her three X-Potions that were all wrapped up in a little basket.

"At least take these with you then."

"Okay. Thank you very much. We'll buy twelve Hi-Potions too, please. My boyfriend can hang on to those."

Wakka shook his head and sighed. He was sure in her bad books…

"Be careful," said Malvina as they parted ways.

"Look out for each other," Marco said. "Stay safe. And thank you again for saving my life."

"And good luck!" Malvina yelled as the gap between the merchants and Yuna, Lulu and Wakka grew bigger. "You'll find him! You'll bring him back!"

Yuna smiled as she looked into the crystalline depths of the Miracle Mana. Malvina was right; she would find him.


End file.
